Half Life Recreants
by Mike Romeo
Summary: Earth is in shambles. The Combine have locked humanity into oppression, and hope for freedom seems out of reach. But the rumors are that Gordon Freeman will be returning. Could the Combine’s reckoning finally be coming?
1. Chapter 1

- Prelude -

It all began at the Black Mesa Research facility, located somewhere in New Mexico. On May 16th (year undefined) in the anomalous materials laboratory, a theoretical physicist named Gordon Freeman was sent into a test chamber with a strange and unknown crystal to conduct a critical test. This crystal was supplied by a peculiar man known only as the G-Man. Some scientists, including Eli Vance, were uneasy about the stability of the crystal and objected to the test, but they were ultimately overruled.

The test proved to be a disaster of devastating proportions. A resonance cascade opened a portal to another dimension, linking Black Mesa and the rest of the planet to an unknown world. Alien monstrosities begin to pour out from the portal and proved to be nothing but aggressive and hostile. The government attempted to contain the disaster by sending military forces to wipe out all life at the facility, be they alien or not. By the end of several days the entirety of Black Mesa had become a bloodbath beyond salvation and all occupants were given no choice but to flee.

Not all lives were lost, however. Taking up arms against the alien invaders, Gordon Freeman escorted several survivors out of the carnage and bloodshed, including Dr. Isaac Kleiner, Dr. Eli Vance, and security guard Barney Calhoun. Since then nobody has seen or heard from Gordon Freeman. It was also rumored that a military Corporal by the named of Adrian Shepard escaped but, like Gordon Freeman, he has yet to be heard from.

Now almost two decades have passed since what is now referred to as the "Black Mesa Incident." A multidimensional empire known as the Combine, a combination of alien, synthetic and human elements, have overwhelmed the Earth's military forces and have now come to rule over Earth after a brief conflict known as the Seven Hour War.

Doctor Wallace Breen, a highly prestigious and powerful scientist, as well as the former administrator of the Black Mesa Research Facility, negotiated the surrender of Earth to the Combine, and was thus rewarded with power. Now he resides in a towering Combine Citadel in the European metropolis known as City 17. He has been given the title of the apparent "Ruler of the Earth."

The Combine have locked humanity under oppression. Innocent citizens are being pulled off the streets, seemingly at random, to be interrogated and tortured. Massive suppression fields have been activated over all the major cities across the globe, preventing humans from procreating. The Earth has been reduced to dystopia, and is being slowly drained of all its natural resources.

Yet hope remains. An underground coalition of scientists and rebels are forming a resistance in City 17 against Dr. Breen and the Combine. And what's more, there is rumor that Gordon Freeman is returning…


	2. Chapter 2

- Chapter 01 -

The One Free Man

Richter Smith looked out the window and gazed across the rooftops of City 17. He stared up at the towering Combine Citadel located in the middle of the city, the peak of which was hidden by a thin layer of gray clouds. A number of scanners1 flew past the window. One stopped to peer inside and take a photograph of Richter, nearly blinding him with its bright white flash.

"God, I hate those things," Richter rubbed his eyes and went to sit down on the nearby couch.

The couch was half busted and covered with mold. Furniture was scarce in the rundown apartment, however, and anything was better then sitting on the floor. There were a few chairs around the small circular table in the corner, and a damp mattress by the bathroom door.

It was a dump, but they had to make due.

"Scanner got you again?" Vanessa walked in from the next room over. "That has to be the third photograph they've taken of you this week."

"I don't think they really care to keep track," Richter scratched his short dark hair. "Do we have any coffee left?"

"Maybe half a cup worth," Vanessa replied, walking over to the counter and peering into the coffee pot. "Maybe…"

She poured what remained in the coffee pot into a dirty porcelain cup and handed it to Richter. He smiled in thanks and began to sip. He would have preferred some cream, but that was not a luxury that Civil Protection2 privileged them with.

The coffee was extraordinarily bitter.

Vanessa went over to the sink, which was also filthy. Without any proper cleaning supplies or clean water, the entire counter and all the dishes were covered in grime and filth. Vanessa sighed as she turned on the sink and picked up a dirty wash cloth, trying to wash a few of the dishes.

Richter looked at Vanessa with a smile. She was a very pretty woman, in her early thirties. Even dressed in the boring blue civilian clothes, that all citizens of City 17 were required to wear, she still managed to look very attractive.

She caught him looking at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Richter looked down at his cup and shook his head. "Just thinking."

He looked over at the television set. The Breencast was looping over and over again as usual. Dr. Breen had made numerous video recordings of him and broadcasted them all over the city as a method of communicating directly with the citizens or Civil Protection. Most of the Breencasts consisted of him addressing letters of concern from the citizens or spreading Combine propaganda.

Richter got up and turned off the television.

"Maybe I should write in to Dr. Breen," Richter said as he put his cup down on the counter.

"Yeah?" Vanessa asked. "What about?"

"The letter would say," Richter put his hands up in front of him and visualized the letter. "Dear Dr. Breen. Why are you so full of bullshit? P.S. rot in hell."

Vanessa laughed. "I think that would very amusing to see on a Breencast, but I also think it would land you a one-way ticket to Nova Prospekt3."

"Yeah," Richter sighed. "Unfortunately."

He went over to the window and looked down to the street.

He frowned. "Look," he pointed down.

Vanessa walked over to see. Three Civil Protection metro cops had pinned two citizens against a wall and were shaking them down. Richter and Vanessa couldn't hear if the cops were actually asking them any questions or not. It was likely that they weren't, and that they were just harassing the two citizens because they could.

"They can't get enough of it, can they?" Vanessa said.

Richter jaw tightened. "No."

There was a knock at the doorway (their apartment had no door.) They turned to see their friend from across the hallway standing there, and he had a grim look on his face.

"Wayne," Richter welcomed him in. "What's going on?"

"Bad news I'm afraid," Wayne replied. "Jarvis just snuck over here. Apparently they're about to start relocating people in this area. We might have to leave."

"Leave? You mean, try for the railroad?" Richter asked.

"Yeah, while we still have a chance."

A voice echoed outside. It was the combine announcer. She spoke through loudspeakers located in the streets in a highly monotone, robotic voice that was less than likely human.

"Attention residents," she said. "Relocation operation initiated in your block. Civil Protection team on route. Full cooperation is expected, and resistance will result in immediate prosecution."

"Great," Wayne said, dismayed. They all rushed to the window.

Sure enough a black armored car was coming down the street and pulled up to the sidewalk. A squad of half a dozen metro cops emerged from the vehicle and rushed into the building.

"We have to go," Wayne urged. "If we hurry now we might be able to make it to the canals."

Vanessa looked hesitant. Richter sat in thought for a moment.

Wayne urged them forward. "Come on!"

It was too late.

The metrocops raced up the stairs and had stopped on their floor. Richter, Vanessa, and Wayne peered out into the hallway. The cops had stopped a few doors down and started banging loudly on the door.

"First warning!" one of them commanded. "Open the door!"

The Combine Metrocops wore dark pants with white strips trailing down to their boots, and thick black padded coats. They wore white gas masks which completely covered their faces and highly distorted their voices. All the cops had deep voices and were so muffled that it was difficult and sometimes even impossible to understand what they were saying.

The cop didn't ask again. He kicked the door open and four of them rushed in with guns drawn. The other two stood guard outside the door in the hall.

"What the hell is with them?" Wayne whispered.

Cries for help and loud thumping came form inside the apartment, clearly indicating that the residences inside were being beaten. A gunshot was fired, but it was hard to tell whether or not anyone had been killed.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Vanessa whispered.

"Like what?" Wayne asked quietly. "Three of us against six of them? We'd be dead inside thirty seconds."

"We should stay put for now," Richter suggested. "Or they might make up an excuse to come to our place."

Suddenly one of the two cops spotted them watching. They nodded at each other and started moving towards them.

"Oh shit," Richter said. "Get inside."

The two cops walked into the apartment and looked at Vanessa. "You there," one of them said to her. "Come with us."

Richter stepped in front of Vanessa. "We didn't do anything wrong. What do you want with us?"

The cop pulled out his electroshock baton and turned it on. It sparked to life and began glowing with dim blue light. "Step aside."

"Just do what he says, Richter," Wayne said, who had huddled into the far corner of the room.

Richter did not move, but stood his ground. If he could see the cops' face, he imagined that it wouldn't look very happy.

"I'm not going to ask you again," the cop threatened.

"Piss off."

That was a mistake. Richter received a harsh blow on his shoulder from the baton and a powerful kick in the stomach. Vanessa was grabbed and dragged out of the room. Richter felt his body grow numb as he fell to the floor.

"Get the other one."

Wayne was also grabbed and dragged out of the apartment. He cried out in protest, begging for them to release him.

"There are others!" he was struggled, nearly drawn to tears. "I can show you! Please don't take me away! I don't want to be relocated again! Please let me go!"

It took Richter a minute to regain the feeling in his body again. He crawled up to the window and looked down to the street. Vanessa, Wayne, and several others were being dragged into the armored car down below. After loading up their captives, the metrocops climbed into the car and sped away down the street towards the train station.

"Damnit…" he growled as he climbed over to the couch. The blow to his shoulder had given him a harsh burn, which was starting to ache painfully.

With some effort, he stood up onto his feet. He made his way across the room and down the hall. He descended the stairs and emerged out into the street. Looking around, he could see only half a dozen citizens wandering down the street and several scanners in the air.

Then he heard the alarm.

A massive, deep thundering ring sounded from the citadel. He looked up at the colossal tower to see hundreds of scanners and dozens of hunter choppers emerging out from the citadel and spreading out across the city.

"What the hell?" Richter muttered to himself.

Another armored car sped from around the corner and raced right by him, ignoring him completely. Military choppers were mobilizing across the rooftops. Something was going on. Something big.

Three metro cops suddenly emerged from a nearby derelict automotive repair shop. They caught sight of Richter and started sprinting towards him. Caught off guard, Richter did the first thing that came to mind. Run.

He fled into a nearby narrow alleyway, only to find that it was a dead end. He searched urgently for a hiding place. The only thing he saw was a heavy four-foot pipe lying on the ground. He picked it up, realizing that it was his only solution.

The metro cops appeared.

"Freeze! Put your hands…"

Crack. Richter swung with all his might at the cops head, breaking his neck. The other two cops were about to draw their firearms but Richter moved quickly. With another swift blow and a powerful kick he dispatched the other two cops. They tumbled to the ground.

Richter dropped his pipe and wiped his brow. His heart was in his throat. He bent down and picked up two of the 9mm pistols. He shoved one of them in his trouser waistline behind his back and headed back towards the street.

Another metro cop appeared. His gun was already drawn and pointed at Richter.

"Hands up," the cop commanded.

Richter did as he was told. The cop shoved him back into the alleyway. He looked at the three injured cops lying on the ground. Richter had a feeling that he wasn't even going to make it prison. Surely he was dead.

To his surprise however, the cop holstered his weapon and removed his mask.

"Barney!" Richter sighed. Barney Calhoun had been working undercover with Civil Protection for several mouths, gathering information and helping citizens sneak past Combine security. "Jesus, you scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry for the scare," Barney replied. "But you gotta get outta here! The citadel is on full alert. They're looking for Freeman."

Richter raised his eyebrows. "Freeman? You mean… Gordon Freeman? He's back?"

Barney nodded. "He sure is, and he's on his way to Black Mesa East4 right now. With Civil Protection looking for him it should be easier to make it out of the city, so you better hurry while there's still time."

"I can't," Richter objected. "They took Victoria to the train station. I think they're going to send her to Nova Prospekt. I can't leave without her."

Barney rubbed his chin. "Well, if you say so. But you better hurry. Here, take this."

Barney handed Richter a small, black plastic card with a large number of codes printed onto it.

"There's a low-security entrance into the train yard around the north end," Barney explained. "This card should get you through, and you shouldn't have too much trouble with the guards."

"Alright," Richter took the card and put into his chest pocket. "Thanks."

"Now get a move on!" Barney urged. "We don't any time to waste. I've got to go look after Dr. Kleiner. Try to stay away from his lab, yeah? We've got to keep from drawing any attention to that place."

"You got it," Richter nodded. "Thanks."

"See you when I see you," Barney put his mask back on and hurried out the alleyway and down the street.

Richter took a deep breath and started making his way through the streets, which were already growing sparse. It looked as though Barney was right. Civil Protection must have redirected their focus on Freeman.

Gordon Freeman. Richter had only heard of the man through the rumors. Gordon Freeman was a kind of folk legend amongst the people of City 17, and even beyond that. All that was known was that he was a scientist with a PhD in theoretical physics and had been involved in the accident at Black Mesa.

Where he had gone after that incident was a mystery. If Freeman had returned, however, it was clearly bad news for the Combine.

Richter continued his journey through the back alleys and side-roads as quickly as he could, hoping that he would be able to make it to the train yard before Victoria was shipped off to Nova Prospekt. He could almost see the roof of the train yard from where he was. Soon enough, he found a railway track running across the street and decided that the most logical thing to do was follow the tracks to the train station.

A Civil Protection blockade soon changed his mind. He quickly ducked out of sight as he spotted several armor cars and just over a dozen cops blocking the main road to the train yard. He was hopelessly outnumbered.

He knew he didn't have time to figure out another way around to the train yard. He needed to think of something fast.

Just then there was a massive explosion and one of the armor cars burst into flames. Richter shielded his face from the heat of the blast with his arms. Confused, he peeked out from his hiding place to see what was going on.

A strange figure had appeared from one of the nearby buildings. He was wearing thick-framed glasses and was dressed in some kind of black and orange hazard suit, and he was tearing away at the combine forces with an MP7 submachine gun.

Richter watched in disbelief. The man was laying waste to this entire Combine regiment with little effort. His precision, his technique. It was extraordinary!

Then it dawned on Richter. He knew this man. It was the Combine's reckoning. The one free man.

He was looking at Gordon Freeman.

1 Scanners: Small airborne robots designed to observe the citizens of Earth.

2 Civil Protection: The Combine law enforcement agency on Earth.

3 Nova Prospekt: A high-security Combine prison.

4 Black Mesa East: A secret research facility and safe haven for resistance members. Not to be confused with the ruins of Black Mesa in New Mexico.


End file.
